"Doodle Dogs"

by Lauren Lowen

As an illustrator in the art licensing and surface designer industry, I’m lucky that my personal work is the art clients end up buying for products and manufactured goods like greeting cards, fabric… even Christmas ornaments and luggage. My sense of humor and quirky characters seem to fall into this category quite well. Over the years, I find that my work is trying to go back to the loose and carefree style that populated my college sketchbook. There are times that it shows up and then retreats, but lately, I’ve been trying to really embrace it in all my work. “Doodle Dogs” is a recent piece I made with the hopes of getting closer to that goal.

Usually, I would research all different kinds of dogs and try to nail each breed’s likeness. This time, however, I quickly glanced at some dogs and just decided to go nuts with my own interpretation. Instead of a German Shepard, Poodle, and St. Bernard, I thought simpler and abstractly: a fluffy dog, a dog with a long snout, a dog with spots and pointy ears. This allowed for a more playful and spontaneous outcome.

I don’t know why sometimes I doubt myself since I love other art and illustration that has a more naïve, effortless style to it. Maybe it’s just because I don’t see all the wrong turns and struggles that the creator had and it just comes off as magical. I’m trying to get there myself, piece by piece.

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